Ash tray



Aug. 29, 1950 l. UMAN 2,520,746

Filed Sept. 17, 1946 3 `Sheets-Sheet .L

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INVENTOR; LEO UMAN BMWYM A TTORNE] Aug. 29, 1950 L, UMAN 2,520,746

Filed sept. 17, 194e s sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEY Aug. 29, 1950 L. UMAN2,520,746

' Asn TRAY Filed sept. 1v, 194e s sheets-sheet s INVENTOR.l LEO UMAN vATTORNEY Patented Aug. 29, 1950 PATENT QFFJLCE 12,520,745 A ASI 'rmi.Applieatmnsptgbr 17, 1946, Sefimm$9m ..5 Qifns.. v(C1. 'Isl-231) naryashtray, they continue-@buuf El? @Qtherqbs'ectsuare @tommy/isi@ thefashtwith and tormaidffanden A. flourningpantfin@Qnmcpmmntment mp view l,distributed @ver me of im lriinterlocked in a manner similar to abayonet.

The upper surface of the casing II forms an annular cavity I1 whereashes or other materials may be deposited.

Cutting means are arranged under the opening I and are operated bypressing the cover 9 down. These cutting means may comprise two knivesI8 and I9 of which one may be stationary and theother movable. Thestationary knife I8 may, `be ua`1xed to the ceiling 'I by rivets 20. Themovable knife is connected to the ceiling 'l by a hinge 2I. In theposition of rest, the sharp Y edges 22 and 23 of these knives surroundanV opening which is substantially co-axial with the opening I0. Whenthe knife I9 is turned about the hinge 2l, its sharp edge 22 slidesclosely under the sharp edge 23 of the knife IB.

This movement is enforced by a guide member 24 affixed to the cover 9.The member 24 has a slot 25 running up-down in an oblique direction. Apin or projection 26v forming an vextension of the movable knife I9passes through the slot 25 and moves horizontally when the member 24moves vertically whereby movement of this member swings the knife I9around its hinge 2| and causes cutting operation of the edges 22 and 23.Y

A sleeve 21 is slidable in the opening I0 and has a lower rim 28 restingon the upper knife I8.V YThe rim 28 forms a stop for the downwardlydirected movement of the cover 9. When the cover is released, the'spring I4 drives the cover andthe member 24 backto the upper position,the slot 25 guiding the projection 26 and the knife I9 back to theoriginal position shown in the drawings.

A projection or nger 29 extends down from the member 24 and contacts theupper surface of a member 3Il. The member 30 is hinged to an eye 3lwhich has a horizontal bore and may be affixed to the wall 6 by suitablemeans, for example, by solder. A spring 32 urges the member 30 againstthe finger 29. The free end of the member 30 is cut out along lines 33bordering va 'free space positioned under the opening I0. Thereby thefree end of the member 3e forms two lateral arms 34. The free ends ofthe ,arms `34 carry o o-axial eyes or bearings 35. 'A rectangularplatemember 36 is provided with littleV pins turnable in thel eyes 35. In theshown position, the plate 36 covers the space between the arms 34 andforms a stop for a cigarette end which may be dropped through theopening I0. The vertical distance between the plate 36 and the cuttingedges22, 23 is equal to or slightly larger than the average length of aburning vcigarette tip. The member 36 forms a lever having a short arm3'I projecting beyond vthe free ends of the member 39.

When the cover 9 is pressed down, the finger -29 pushes the member 30whereby the latter, to-

gether with the overlying plate 36, is turned down against Ythe pressureof the spring 32 to the position shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines.

A hook 38 projectsinto the path of the short `arm l3l of the plate36 ata short distance from the lowermost position of this arm. The hook 38 ishinged to a stationary post 39 which may be affixed to the bottom 5. Thepost 39 is pro-- vided with a stop 40 preventing the hook 38 fromturning incounter-clockwise direction from the tion shown in the drawingwhereby the arm 31 is caught under the hook 38.

When the member 39 turns up again, the arm 3l and the plate 36 arerotated about the axis of the eyes 35 by the resistance of the hook 38as far as necessary in order to let the arm pass the tip of this hook.This turning movement of the plate 36 uncovers temporarily the freespace between the arms 34. After having passed the :hook 38 in upwarddirection the plate 36 falls back on the member 36.

. The lower part of the inner space of the housing is divided intocompartments 4I and 42 by a. wall 43 crossing this space parallel to theaxis of the eyes 35 and positioned substantially vertically below thelowermost position of this axis.

The described device operates as follows:

When a smoker has finished smoking a cigarette, he drops the remainingend, with its burning tip rst, into the opening I9. The discarded end isstopped by the plate 36 on which it is supported in erect position. Inthis position the plane dividing the burning tip from the remaining partof the cigarette end is at the same level as the cutting edges 22 and23.

Then the smoker presses the cover 9 down. Thereby the knife I9 is movedin the manner described before. Immediately after this knife has startedmoving, the cigarette end is gripped by the cutting edges 22 and 23.During the continuation of this movement, the burning tip is cut fromthe upper part of the cigarette end.

During this cutting operation, the member 39 and the plate 36 haveturned down to the position shown in Fig. l in dotted lines. The burningtip drops on the plate 3B and may slide or roll along the upper surfaceof the plate to the left side in Fig. 1. The upper part of the cigaretteend is supported in erect position by the knives I8 and I9 as long asthe latter stay closed.

Then the cover 9 is released whereupon it returns to its upper position.At the beginning of this returning movement, the plate 33 is turned inthe direction of the arrow 44'in the manner 45 described before wherebythe burning tip is thrown into the compartment 4I if this tip should nothave dropped into this compartment before that time. This turningVmovement of the plate 36 uncovers an area or passage between the arms34. Simultaneously, the knives re-open the passage between the cuttingedges 22 and 23. The cut upper part of the cigarette drops through thesepassages between the cutting edges and between the arms 34 into thecompartment 42. Thereafter all movable parts of the device return totheir original positions in which they rest until the device is operatedagain. lIhe severed parts of the cigarette end are separated by thewall-.43. Theburning part will soon nnish burning. 'Ihe other part willnot burn whereby vthe discardedcigarette end will not developappreciable smoke.

In order toempty Vthe compartments @I and '42, the bottom 5 of thehousing is detached from the casing II in the manner described before.Then the cover 9 is taken off and the housing is turned upside downwhereby the contents of the housingdrop through the opening 3. The wall6 of the housing 45 may have openings or interruptions, or a body t5(see Figs. 5 and 6) may be, used instead of the housing 45. The body 46differs from the housing 45 in that 'two vertical posts or wall parts4'! replace the Acylindrical wall 6, in' that two smaller platforms 48and 49 forming the tops of the posts 4l replace the annular ceiling 'Iand in that a somewhat longer wall 50 having free end sides replaces thewall 43. In every other respect, the body 46 is identical to thepreviously described housing 45, and this body carries the same parts asthe housing 45 in the same manner.

The casing I I is connected to the bottom of the body 46 in the mannerdescribed before with respect to the identical bottom 5 whereby thiscasing closes the sides of the body 45 and, together with this body,forms a housing. The lower space of this housing is divided by the wall5@ into two compartments which are connected only by narrow gaps 5l.These gaps are far from the central zone where burning tips fall as hasbeen described before. The inner space of the casing I I forms anenlargement of the space of the body 46 whereby the deposition of alarge quantity of cigarette ends and ashes is possible. Anotheradvantage is that the body 45 can be emptied k without being turnedupside down after the casing I I has been detached.

I desire it understo-od that my invention is not conned to theparticular embodiments shown and described, the same being merelyillustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other wayswithout departing from the spirit of my invention as it is obvious thatthe particular embodiments shown and described are only two of the manythat may be employed to attain the objects of my invention.

Having described the nature of my invention, what I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. An ashtray comprising a housing, a movable cover for said housingwith a top opening for the introduction of a burning end of an elongatedsubstantially cylindrical smoking article, cutting means positionedunder said opening, and a plate positioned under said cutting means at adistance about equal to the average length of a burning cigarette tipsaid cutting means being operative in a direction crossing the movingdirection of said cover and deriving motion from the movement of saidcover.

2. An ashtray comprising a housing, a movable cover for said housingwith a top opening for the introduction of a burning end of an elongatedsubstantially cylindrical smoking article, cutting means positionedunder said opening, a movable plate positioned under said cutting means,and means for operating said cutting means Aand turning said plate intoan inclined position.

3. An ashtray comprising a housing, a cover for said housing with anopening for the introduction of a burning end of an elongatedsubstantially cylindrical smoking article, cutting means positionedunder said opening, a member hinged to said housing and having an armpositioned lower than said cutting means and passing aside of a freespace located vertically under said opening, a plate hinged to said armand having a main part positioned at one side of its hinge and, in theposition of rest, overlying a part of said member and said free space,said plate having another part positioned at the other side of itshinge, means for causing to and fro movement of said cutting means andof said member, and means for turning said plate during said fromovement of said member.

4. An ashtray comprising a housing, a cover for said housing with anopening for the introduction of a burning end of an elongatedsubstantially cylindrical smoking article, a member hinged to saidhousing and having an arm positioned lower than said cutting means andpassing aside of a free area located vertically under said opening, aplate hinged to said arm and having a main part positioned at one sideof its hinge and, in the position of rest, overlying a part of saidmember and said free area, said plate having another part positioned atthe other side of its hinge, means for causing to and fro movement; ofsaid cutting means and of said member, and means for turning said plateduring said fro movement of said member, said latter means comprising ahook movably connected to said housing and having a tip positioned inthe path of said other plate part.

5. An ashtray comprising a housing, a wall dividing the lower part ofsaid housing into two compartments, a cover for said housing with anopening for the introduction of a burning end of an elongatedsubstantially cylindrical smoking article, cutting means positionedunder said opening and adapted to cut an introduced cigarette end intotwo parts, and means movably connected to said housing, positioned undersaid cutting means, forming a stop for the introduction of a cigaretteend in one position, and, in another position, directing one part of acut cigarette end in one of said compartments and letting the other partdrop into the other compartment.

LEO UMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 348,471 Mahon Aug. 31, 1886680,359 Rist Aug. 31, 1901 980,123 Pollock et al Dec. 27, 1910y1,045,176 Piper Nov. 26, 1912 1,658,885 Darney Feb. 14, 1928 1,744,123Kolar Jan, 21, 1930 1,776,563 Macready Sept. 23, 1930 2,259,793 Black etal Oct. 21, 1941 2,319,861 Hawkins May 25, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 27,651 Germany June 24, 1881

